Frommer's Travel Guides: Trip Ideas, Inspiration & Deals 10 Civil Rights Landmarks That Aren't Museums Antigua's Got 365 Beaches. Here Are the Top 10 What to Do in Dubai If You Don't Have Much Time How to Travel Ireland's West Coast Without Renting a Car Sold Back to Its Founder, Frommer’s to Publish Anew - The New York Times The New York Times Media |Sold Back to Its Founder, Frommer’s to Publish Anew Search When Google bought the Frommer’s brand of travel guides last August, it was an unlikely union of old and new, of paper and pixels. It didn’t last long. Arthur Frommer, the 83-year-old founder of the company, announced in April that he had bought the brand back from Google, which did not publish any Frommer’s guidebooks. Now he is moving quickly to release his first batch of books in October under a new name, FrommerMedia. In an interview on Friday, Mr.

Frommer said he had struck a deal with Publishers Group West, a member of the Perseus Books Group, to distribute and help market and promote the books, a major step in reviving the publishing machine of one of the most renowned brands in the travel industry. Photo Arthur Frommer, left, the founder of Frommer’s Travel Guides, and David Steinberger, the chief of Perseus Books Group. Credit Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times “I feel like I’m starting all over again,” Mr. Frommer said. “I’m working hard to bring them back to what they were.” Mr. Frommer, often considered the father of the travel-guide business, wrote and published his first guide, “The G.I.’s Guide to Traveling in Europe,” when he was a young Army corporal living in Berlin. Advertisement Continue reading the main story That guide, turned into a book called “Europe on $5 a Day,” became a huge success. Several years later, after a brief career practicing law, Mr. Frommer began publishing more travel books, building a business to be a leader in the industry. For many years, Mr.

Frommer said, the Frommer’s books made up close to 25 percent of all the travel guides sold in the United States. He has not had direct control over the Frommer’s guides for decades. In 1977, Frommer’s was sold to Simon & Schuster and later acquired by John Wiley & Sons. (Mr. Frommer remained involved as a consultant.) Last year, Google paid about $23 million for the brand, saying that it would incorporate the Frommer’s content from its books, mobile apps and Web site into local reviews. This year, it sold the brand back to Mr. Frommer for an undisclosed price. By the end of 2014, Mr. Frommer expects to release as many as 80 books. Mr. Frommer and his daughter, Pauline, will be co-presidents of the company. A new series, called EasyGuides, are an answer to the increasingly lengthy travel guides on the market that Mr. Frommer said were too long to be practical. Photo Google bought Frommer’s last year and sold it in April. Credit Justin Lane/European Pressphoto Agency The Frommers are restarting the publication of the guides at a difficult time in the travel-book business.

Sales of travel guides have been in decline for years, publishers said, under pressure from free Web sites like TripAdvisor, VirtualTourist and Yelp. “There’s the availability of free information on the Internet, and there’s the fewer number of brick-and-mortar stores,” said David Steinberger, the chief executive of Perseus Books Group. “But you can still have a very successful business if you have the right brand and the right content.” Travel guides have also failed to pick up the e-book sales that could compensate for print losses; reference books are still lagging far behind most other categories, especially fiction, in e-book sales. Mr. Frommer said he believed that in a time in which user-generated content is pervasive, there is also a demand for carefully edited information by a trusted source. “I think there’s been a reaction to the user generation source of travel information,” he said.

Most of the newly issued Frommer’s guides will be written by freelancers who live in the cities they are reviewing — unlike online reviews elsewhere, which might be written by “people who have been to one hotel in Paris in their lives.” A version of this article appears in print on July 15, 2013, on Page B3 of the New York edition with the headline: Sold Back to Its Founder, Frommer’s to Publish Anew. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Frommer's EasyGuide to Chicago (Easy Guides): Kate Silver: 9781628871227: Amazon.com: Books Frommer's EasyGuide to Chicago (Easy Guides) Buy the selected items together This item:Frommer's EasyGuide to Chicago (Easy Guides) by Kate Silver Paperback $8.76 In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items.

In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Paperback $17.32 Prime Next Special Offers and Product Promotions Editorial Reviews About the Author Kate Silver loves checking different countries off her list, as she explores the world in true travel writer fashion. But even more than that, she loves digging deep into her own city of Chicago, as she's done in the 2015 Frommer's EasyGuide. Silver specializes in travel, food and feature stories, and her work regularly appears in Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times and Southwest Airline's Spirit Magazine. Before moving to Chicago, she lived in Las Vegas, where she co-authored Pauline Frommer's Guide to Las Vegas and Frommer's Las Vegas Day by Day. Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here , or download a FREE Kindle Reading App .

Product Details Publisher: FrommerMedia; Fol Pap/Ma edition (August 26, 2014) Language: English Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces ( View shipping rates and policies ) Average Customer Review: on November 3, 2014 Format: Paperback We all want a funny friend in places we visit, so that we have the inside scoop on what to see, do, and eat from Someone Who Knows Us. I have to admit, that’s sort of a far-fetched dream. But enter author Kate Silver, who is, with her new book Frommer's EasyGuide to Chicago, now everyone’s interesting, witty bestie in Chicago. Here’s the funny girlfriend you need to help guide you through the best of the city of Chicago. To wit: do you know why Chicago is called the Windy City? It’s not for the weather, but because of the politicians. That’s on page 1. The book gets better from there – inside scoop after inside scoop. Highly recommended for visitors and locals alike. Google Kills Print Frommer’s Guides, Now It's All Metadata - Publishing Perspectives Publishing Perspectives By Dennis Abrams Say good-bye to printed Frommer's travel guides.

Following on the news of BBC Worldwide’s sale of Lonely Planet to NC2 Media at a sizable loss, comes the news that Google will cease production and publication of printed guidebooks carrying the Frommer’s brand name. Of course, this comes as no surprise to readers of Publishing Perspectives, for as we knew last year: Google only bought Frommer’s for the metadata . But onto the news story: according to Skift.com , the last two Frommer’s books to come off the presses were guides in the “Day-by-Day” series devoted to Napa and Sonoma and Banff and the Rockies , both of which went on sale in early February. The last traditional complete guide to be printed was Frommer’s Florida in late December. Starting with Frommer’s New York City With Kids , which can still be found in bookstores as well as in online stores, the entire “future list of Frommer’s titles will not see the light of day.” According to Skift, many of the authors attached to those 29 future titles said that they were informed by editors currently working at Google that the books would not publish. Google purchased Frommer’s Travel and Unofficial Guides from Wiley in August 2012 for $22 million .

The company would not speak to Skift regarding any plans for Frommer’s. Skift noted that this is the time of year when Frommer’s catalog would contain over a hundred titles in multiple series, including best-sellers and big European titles that are usually published in the fall: none of these titles have been issued ISBN numbers or been assigned to past authors. Fodor’s, Frommer’s largest competitor, currently has its covers and pre-orders available at online bookstores. There is one potential bright spot for those who love the feel of a printed guidebook. Google also purchased the Unofficial series from Wiley, including the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World , one of the best-selling guidebooks in the USA And according to Skift, that series will remain in print. Publisher and founder of the series, Bob Sehlinger, told Skift, “The Unofficial Guides will continue to be published in print and also be available as eBooks. The creators of the Unofficial Guides, Menasha Ridge Press, will enjoy greater autonomy and editorial control than under Wiley.” About the Author Dennis Abrams Dennis Abrams is a contributing editor for Publishing Perspectives, responsible for news, children's publishing and media.

He's also a restaurant critic, literary blogger, and the author of "The Play's The Thing," a complete YA guide to the plays of William Shakespeare published by Pentian, as well as more than 30 YA biographies and histories for Chelsea House publishers. The Frommers - Baseball BOOKS IN PRINT, October 15, 2001, Contains a rich & varied montage of memories from baseball players & fans across generations & cultures. ............................................... FRED WALLIN, SPORTS BIZ/TALK SHOW Los Angeles, October 9, 2001, "Harvey Frommer, who has written 'a million baseball books' and his son Frederic, who has written his first one, have written the oral history - - GROWING UP BASEBALL. I enjoyed it. The book underscores the old Roy Campanella quote: 'To play this game, you've got to have a lot of little boy in you.' If you love the game of baseball, pick up this book, GROWING UP BASEBALL." ...............................................

IRV KAZE on SPORTS/KRLA , Sports Show Host, September 24, 2001, Very exciting reading in this oral history of some 70 players ranging in reputation and era. How they got started on the road to the majors is told in detail with emotion and impact. The book is great reading. Oral histories come from such as Dom DiMaggio, Jim Palmer, Nolan Ryan, Keith Hernandez,Bob Feller, Don Zimmer,Todd Zeile, Ron Santo, Billy Williams, Bobby Brown, Scott Brosius, etc. A first for the father and son writing team of prolific author Harvey Frommer and his son Frederic. ............................................... SIGNED EDITIONS What little boy hasn't dreamed of making it to the major leagues! How many fathers hope to see their sons play for teams such as the Yankees or the Red Sox? There are hundreds of books about the game, but Growing Up Baseball is the first oral history that reveals the dreams of a select few who actually made it to the major leagues.

In their own words, players like Nolan Ryan, Bob Feller, "Sparky" Anderson, Jim Palmer, and Bob Tewksbury share their early memories of playing catch with their dads or baseball with their brothers in the neighborhood or on the farm. These experiences ignited the dream and indelibly shaped the futures of the sixty-nine players highlighted in this book authored by father and son, Harvey and Frederic Frommer. During their first-hand interviews, the authors discovered such interesting facts as: Dom DiMaggio polished his fielding skills playing catch with brother Joe on the steep hills of San Francisco Bob Feller was lucky to have a father who built him a complete baseball field in a pasture on their Des Moines, Iowa far m in 1930-the first "Field of Dreams." Keith Hernandez started at age five to catch and hit tennis balls thrown to him by his minor league infielder father. Monte Irvin played many years in the Negro Leagues until his dream of making it to the majors came true at age 51. Bob Tewksbury still has memories of wet baseballs from playing in the early spring snows of New Hampshire.

From baseball's greatest players to those less frequently remembered, the heart-warming stories in Growing Up Baseball are a reminder that there is a time in a player's career when everything seems possible. ............................................... brothersjudd.com "In the great tradition of Lawrence Ritter's Glory of their Times and Donald Honig's Baseball When the Grass Was Real, Mr. Frommer and his son, Frederic, offer an oral history with a narrowed and fascinating focus: players' personal stories of the role baseball played in their youths. Everyone will have his or her favorite players in the bunch, especially since the wide variety includes old-timers and current players, stars and scrubs, blacks, Latinos, Jews (Al Rosen and Shawn Green), and sons (Dale Berra) and brothers (Ken Brett ) of superstars. Everyone's represented and, as in Mr. Ritter's book, they please us by having loved the game as we'd have hoped and by pretty uniformly looking back fondly on their experiences. There's a minor but representative moment when Joey Amalfitano is about to sign his first contract and has to go get his father off of a fishing boat where he works: He was in his working clothes.

I introduced him to the two scouts, Ebo and Dutch. We sat in the living room. He signed the contract. Then they got up, and my father said to me in Italian, "Take me back to the boat." So I drove him back. My father asked, "What did you sign for?"--meaning what kind of money did you sign for. I said, "$35,000." He said, "America is a great country." In both these books we get to see, once again, how baseball knits together generations of Americans, gives us memories we share first with brothers, fathers and grandfathers and then with sons and grandsons. So, I never got to see Ralph Kiner play, but as a Mets announcer he explained games to me for thirty years, and now, thanks to the Frommers, here he is again sharing stories of his youth and of the game he loves and that he helped me and my brother learn to love. And so his growing up baseball melds into ours. America really is a great country and baseball its great game." ............................................... Arnold Dean, WTIC, Sports Talk "Ambitious, very interesting. The wonderful oral histories humazines the players so much." ...............................................

Growing Up Baseball Review, by Amy Cohen 1/07/2002 @ baseballologu.com "The title and premise intrigued me. A series of mini-bios told in the first person by men who had actually made it to the "Big Leagues". I was looking for an answer, into my own psyche perhaps as to why the game is so compelling. Why do I stay up late for Opening Day and to watch every possible minute of the World Series? Why is Opening Day for my home team so important that I consider it a national holiday and have not missed an opening day game most of my adult life, even traveling over 300 miles to be there. Why are celebrities like Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Kostner and Billy Crystal so obviously obsessed with the game. Even presidents are drawn to the game, our current president owned a team, Bill Clinton is said to be "bonkers about baseball". It is not just America that is taken with the game. The Japanese passion is well documented as well as Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

I thought if I could hear in their own words what brought many major leaguers to the game I could find a commonality and understand why I am so gripped by the game. In Growing Up Baseball players from the past and present, ones who had afleeting time in the major leagues to ones who are icons- discuss their intimate childhood memories of the game. Players who grew up with and without TV and /or in areas where there was no access to major or minor league teams and areas where cities have several major league teams all have the same passion for the game. Chuck Stevens - Played three years for the St. Louis Browns. Grew up occasionally hearing games on the radio and reading ticker tape reports of World Series games. But spent 23 years in the Browns organization. Scott Brosius - NY Yankees third baseman, knew he wanted to be a major leaguer from age three, but never saw a major league game until he was drafted by the Oakland A's at 22-years old. Jose Cardenal -Native of Cuba whose whole family's life was devoted to baseball.

His father played, his older brother played for the Army League, his cousin is Bert "Campy" Campaneris and his sister was the only female official scorer in Cuba. Signed by the Giants but couldn't get very much playing time due to the existing outfield of Mays, McCovey and the Alou brothers, was later traded and played 18 years in the majors. The stories recount tales of parents who encouraged, parents who discouraged. Idols who became mentors. Boys who became men. While Growing Up Baseball was not able to give me insight into my own obsession it does give intimate details and takes a peak into the childhood of majors leaguers who we love so much and always wanted to be." ............................................... From Society For American Baseball Research "This is a collection of interviews creating the first oral history of the "growing up years" of some of baseball's greatest heroes. The book presents unique and personal memories from legends like Bob Feller, Sparky Anderson, Dom DiMaggio, Keith Hernandez and others. The players recall their journeys, joys and struggles from childhood play to major league debut." ...............................................

The Book Shelf/Purebaseball.com "Growing Up Baseball is another type of oral history, one which encompasses a common theme. In this case, as the title indicates, current and former major leaguers relate their introduction to the game. Most, as tradition might dictate, learned at the feet of dad, the pastoral image of fathers and sons playing catch. Some praise the help of a little league, high school or college coach as pointing them in the right direction. Those who share their experiences run the gamut from all-time legends such as Bob Feller and Ralph Kiner to today's role players like Darryl Hamilton and Adam Kennedy. It also spans the decades, from Elden Auker, who first pitched for the Tigers in 1933 to players currently plying their trade. It's eye-opening to see the differences between the childhood experiences of a Feller and the modern player: the advantages of the latter (and not just financially) makes one wonder why the quality isn't better. Frommer, with the help of his son, does his usual excellent job, whether the topic is New York City baseball, Joe Jackson or photographic compilations." ...............................................

Growing Up Baseball/Boy of Summer.com "Harvey Frommer and his son Frederick must have had a fantastic time writing Growing Up Baseball (Taylor Trade Publishing, Hardcover $23.95). Together this tandem collected dozens of stories of major leaguers for this unique piece of literature. From A to Zeile, from Hall-of-Famers like Jim Palmer and Ralph Kiner to relative nobodies like Ed Yarnall and Lazaro Ramon Gonzalo "Cholly" Naranjo , there is something for everybody here. There are interesting little tidbits of information here, like that Dale Berra's dad never really played catch with him, "That's what you've got brothers for." Even more surprising is that this reality did not turn young Dale off to baseball. Dom DiMaggio used to hide his coke-bottle glasses whenever scouts would come around, so as not to bias their opinions of him. Think how good he could have been if he could see! What This Book Is: A collection of charming little vignettes about growing up as a baseball fan and/or a baseball player. Some of your favorite baseball personalities relating how they managed to grasp a small slice of the American Dream.

Easily read and comprehended pieces of times gone by, and some fairly recent memories, related so comfortably that you can almost see the succession of men in your own living room, taking their turns in your easy chair and telling their own stories. Perhaps the most engaging aspect of this book is that it really isn't written by Harvey and Frederick Frommer as much as it was dictated to them by the individuals featured in the book. Each little (Fred Lynn's is not so little) story is told in the first person as they dictated it to the authors, so you can almost hear Nolan Ryan's Texas drawl or Manny Mota's Dominican accent as you read, and you can tell from his speech that Bobby Brown is quite an educated man, even before he tells you that he was a cardiologist and spent a great deal of time as President of the American League. What This Book Is Not: Well, it's not really a book that lends itself to being read straight through. There are almost seventy mini-chapters here, and many of them relate similar details: Several of these men were accomplished athletes during their youths, often in sports other than baseball as well.

Many of them had to work hard at another occupation, or grew up in relatively meager circumstances before striking it rich in the majors. You're better off taking this slowly, reading a story or two at a time, in your leisure. Savor these stories. Enjoy them, instead of trying to wolf them all down in order to get a timely review written, like I did. You'll thank me later. When you grow up." ............................................... SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL "A new book is out that takes an original approach to baseball. "Growing up baseball, an oral history," lets players tell their stories in their own words. Among those who write about their childhood baseball memories: Mark Grace, Bob Feller, Dom DiMaggio, Sam McDowell, Don Larsen and Mike Scioscia, manager of the Anaheim Angels, who vanquished the Giants in the World Series. By Harvey and Frederic Frommer, the book is a quick and satisfying read about the innocent youth of baseball stars." ............................................... From the Inside Flap "Growing Up Baseball An Oral History What little boy hasn't dreamed of making it to the major leagues! How many fathers hope to see their sons play for teams such as the Yankees or the Red Sox?

There are hundreds of books about the game, but Growing Up Baseball is the first oral history that reveals the dreams of a select few who actually made it to the major leagues. In their own words, players like Nolan Ryan, Bob Feller, "Sparky" Anderson, Jim Palmer, and Bob Tewksbury share their early..." Noted oral historian Harvey Frommer joins his son Frederic in collecting interviews and published commentary together with photos to create the first thorough oral history of the "growing up" years of baseball's greatest heroes. Frommer's Hawaii 2009 by Jeanette Foster - Read Online About Reviews From the Publisher America’s #1 bestselling travel series Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer’s Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do.More annually updated guides than any other series16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guidesOutspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itinerariesDozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best.

Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go--they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us! Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition),Frommer's Hawaii features gorgeous color photos of the stunning beaches and thrilling adventures that await you. Meticulously researched by one of Hawaii's most noted journalists, this is hands-down the most reliable, up-to-date, and comprehensive guide to the islands. Each of our candid hotel reviews is based on a detailed personal inspection. You'll find lavish beachfront resorts, intimate rain-forest B&Bs, family-friendly condos, and much, much more. Our dining reviews are simply the best in the business, whether you crave cutting-edge Asian-fusion cuisine or a hearty, affordable plate lunch.

Our author makes sure that you'll truly experience the spirit of aloha, and she'll help you steer clear of anything that's overpriced, touristy, or inauthentic. With Frommer's in hand, you'll know where to find secluded beaches; secret spots for snorkeling; the best outfitters to choose for everything from diving to deep-sea fishing; and where to find the top galleries and shops. Inside you'll find extensive coverage of family-friendly accommodations and activities; tips on how to get married in the islands; recommendations for the best honeymoon resorts; and valuable advice on finding the best airfares and package deals. Whether you want to watch the fiery spectacle at the Big Island's volcano, play a challenging round of golf, snorkel with sea turtles, or simply kick back with a mai tai to watch the sunset, you can design the perfect trip withFrommer's Hawaii. You'll even get a color fold-out map, and an online directory that makes trip-planning a snap!List of Maps. What’s New in Hawaii. 1 The Best of Hawaii. 2 Hawaii in Depth. 3 Planning Your Trip to Hawaii. 4 Suggested Hawaii Itineraries. 5 Oahu, the Gathering Place. 6 Hawaii, the Big Island.

7 Maui, the Valley Isle. 8 Molokai, the Most Hawaiian Isle. 9 Lanai, a Different Kind of Paradise. 10 Kauai, the Garden Isle. Appendix: Fast Facts, Toll-Free Numbers& Websites. Index.Frommer's. The best trips start here.Experience a place the way the locals do.

Enjoy the best it has to offer.Detailed reviews of the best beaches, golf courses, and resorts.Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not.Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip whatever your budget.Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.Find great deals and book your trip at Frommers.com Published: Wiley on Dec 15, 2008 ISBN: 9780470405987 The Frommers - Catskills BOOK FORUM (2004 EDITION) It Happened in the Catskills (University of Wisconsin Press), first published in 1991, is an oral history of the Borscht Belt resort area from its advent in bungalow colonies with kochalyns ("cook-alone" cabins with kitchens) and family-run inns such as Grossinger Kosher Farm (1914) to its heyday in the '50s and '60s era of High Jewish Glamour--when Grossinger's and the Concord had blossomed into the kosher-style Waldorf and Ritz--to its eventual '80s eclipse, when the hotels were converted into convention centers or

 sold to Buddhists, New Agers, and, ironically, Hasidic Jews, for unschmaltzy retreats.

It's also ironic that so many fabulously snazzy examples of midcentury design would bite the dust just a few minutes before hipster irony and genuine postmodern appreciation would probably have redeemed them. Now "no surer proof of the Catskills' demise exists," authors Myrna Katz Frommer and Harvey Frommer observe in their intro to the new edition, "than the fact of its having become the subject of academic study."Long connoting schmaltz, unlimited portions, and B-list cheesiness, the Borscht Belt sensibility has finally caught up with a mainstream culture that can appreciate its unabashed celebration of glitz, whether real or fake, and its radically unsnobby democracy of enjoyment. The chapter titled "Order Everything" sums up fine dining à la the Catskills as "part of the pomp and circumstance of making it in the New World. You'd order everything on the menu because you never knew what you'd like. In this way, you got your money's worth," explains veteran eater and comedian Mal Z. Lawrence, who calls the Catskills "my Hollywood": "Even more than the food itself, it was the elegance . . . of asking for doubles, even if not eating it.

Even if just tasting it and saying 'nah.' That was the luxury of it all." Visiting "goyisher journalists" would "sit down to eat, and there'd be this opulent spread," recalls Irving Rudd, former Brooklyn Dodgers publicist. "Their eyes would bulge--like 'How long has this been going on? . . . I tell you, . . . you Hebes really know how to live.'" While up in the Jewish Alps--the Catskills in upstate New York--the Chosen People (fortunate enough to evade Nazis and pre-air-conditioned New York City) were playing Simon Sez ("Lou Goldstein gets the crowd at Grossinger's going," reads one of many hilarious captions), doing the mambo ("Very seldom would you see a shlep in Champagne Hour"), and thoroughly enjoying themselves in a manner that could be explained only by centuries of suffering.

The "fountain at the entrance to the Concord's Imperial Room" identifies the sanctum sanctorum of shtick, featuring legends from Sid Caesar and Eddie Fisher to Neil Sedaka, Buddy Hackett, and Totie Fields; "Regulars prided themselves on how many acts they walked out on." Native informant Bob Melvin elaborates, "That was their mentality: to see a big star and not like him, to have a good time by not having a good time--that was what they wanted to do. They challenged every star who worked there." Entertainers used to call it "the Concord syndrome." By AL ELLENBERG - THE JERUSALEM REPORT, August 8, 1991 THE MAGIC MOUNTAINS Something happened to the Catskills about a century ago: The Jews started to come. Just a handful in the beginning, mostly Russians with a feel for farming and a repugnance for the filth and swelter of Manhattan's Lower East Side, 75 miles to the southeast. The little farms barely provided subsistence, so their tillers turned to providing bed and board for landsleit guests from the city during the summer months.

The Catskills, home of Rip Van Winkle, now bred a different kind of American legend: the Borscht Belt and its magic mountains of abundance. The ramsackle farms spawned colonies of bungalows, which in turn became satellites of larger and larger hotels, some of which took on the dimensions of self-contained towns. The fabulous Grossinger's, a Disney-land of Jewish opulence, had its own post office and airport. The Concord boasted the Monster golf course, 45 splendidly manicured holes. In the heyday of the 1950s and 60s, there were about 500 hotels and another 500 bungalow colonies strewn through "The Mountains" like poppy seeds on hallah. "It Happened in the Catskills" is an oral history of this resort mecca, from the gritty 1890s through the homogenized 1990s, and the glory days in between. The oral approach is appropriate; so many of the activities described here relate to the mouth. Food and entertainment, kreplach and comedians, were the pillars of Catskills life.

Marvin Welkowitz, whose parents owned a hotel: "In my time as a waiter it was gimme-gimme-gimme, and the food would keep on coming out. Whatever you wanted, blintzes or fish or bagels, it kept coming. They ordered three or four of everything." Literary agent Elaine Markson, who worked as a camp counselor in her teens, takes a stab at the sociology of conspicuous Jewish consumption: "The attention to food it's part of the vision of America as the horn of plenty, part of the pomp and circumstance of making it in the New World. The Catskills were the Jewish version of the country club or first class on the ocean liner. You'd order everything on the menu because you never knew what you'd like. In this way, you got your money's worth." As much as Jews wanted to eat, they wanted to laugh. For many, hard-working survivors of famines, pogroms and death camps, food and laughter were equally scarce. Unsurprisingly, they were often coupled, as in this primoridal gem: "How did you find the steak last night?

"I picked up the potato and there it was." A few of the Jewish staples entered the American culinary vocabulary (bagels and lox, blintzes, brisket, chopped liver and so on, ad nauseum); the comedians and entertainers (not all of whom were Jewish) who honed their shticks in the Mountains became dominant figures in show business. What a bunch of wise alecks! Joey Adams, Red Buttons, Red Skelton, Eddie Cantor, Jack Benny, Georgie Jessel, Henny Youngman, Danny Kaye, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Lenny Bruce, Zero Mostel, Jackie Mason, Woody Allen, Billy Crystal and on and on. You want singers? How about Richard Tucker, Robert Merrill, Eddie Fisher, Barbra Streisand? There were super athletes who actually played for hotel teams, future basketball stars like Bob Cousy and Wilt Chamberlain. Olympic champion Buster Crabbe taught swimming.

"It Happened in the Catskills" is an insiders' blast from the past, crammed with marvelously nostalgic photographs and anecdotes by and about legendary and not so legendary hotel owners, performers, booking agents, politicians, guests, waiters and busboys. The tone is mildly self-congratulatory, but there are hints of a darker side: atrocious working conditions for hotel staff, the shadow of a Mafia presence, the sexual loneliness of wives whose husbands worked weekdays in "the city" and who frequently found fleeting consolation with college-boy waiters and busboys. Thousands of such college boys from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, the West Side and Lower East Side of Manhattan set tables and hoisted trays for 12- to 15-hour working days and obligatorily donned a white jacket and dark trousers after dinner to "keep the lady guests company." Recalls TV news anchor Marvin Scott, an ex-bellhop at the Raleigh: "You'd see a change in these women on Sunday afternoons when the husbands went back to the city, leaving them for the week. Suddenly, they became swingers." Scott tells a hilarious story about his night with a visiting stripper he calls Nanette.

My own introduction to showbiz was a dancer at the Flagler named Rosie. There are still hotels in the Borscht Belt; about a dozen major ones remain and prosper, with a clientele markedly Jewish only on the High Holidays or Passover. But hundreds of middle-sized hotels are derelict now, with weeds growing in the lobbies. Irving Cohen, maitre d' at the Concord for over 50 years, blames the death of the small hotels on the disappearance of reliable summer help, mostly college kids earning their tuition. "When you had to work to make money to go to school, Sullivan County was a good place. Today, it's different. The kids don't have to work so hard any more. I think we're too good to our children." Al Ellenberg worked as a waiter in the Catskills during the 1950s. ............................................................... SIGNED EDITIONS "The magic of the Catskills comes back vividly in this lively collection of memories from those who were there when it was the place to be. Just "ninety minutes from Broadway," the Catskills were a training ground and showcase for some of the biggest musical and comedic talents ever.

In this oral narrative, more than a hundred voices share stories spanning nearly a century and evoking an experience that in many ways exists now only as a memory. Oversized and bountifully illustrated, It Happened in the Catskills, will delight and inform anyone who knows of the Catskills only through Hollywood portrayals such as Dirty Dancing and Broadway Danny Rose--and will be treasured nostalgia for all those who may have spent a summer or two of their own in the Mountains." ............................................................... BROWN UNIVERSITY CATSKILLS INSTITUTE "This oversize book is full of photos and graphics of the Catskills. It has good information on the entertainment aspect and on the workings and development of the big hotels. There are abundant quotes from the many Catskills entertainers, staff, owners, and guests that the Frommers interviewed. It Happened in the Catskills is a fun book to travel the Mountains with." ............................................................... WINDOWS MEDIA "The book's profusely illustrated 239 pages are loaded with reminiscences that are bawdy, rueful, whimsical, and profoundly human.

Among the prime bits are tales of Eddie Fisher's hectic sex life, a story about a young Jewish girl falling for a forbidden Italian musician, and stories of lascivious old aunties with varicose veins putting the make on innocent young waiters. Most engrossing are the tales of sharp moguls, barely off the boat, building grand hotels out of brazen nerves and chutzpah. With interviews from over 100 subjects, the Frommer's have made a time capsule fascinating to anyone who savored "Broadway Danny Rose," wept when Jack Benny died, or would sell their souls for some good pastrami." ............................................................... BBC RADIO - London, England, June 19, 2001 A WONDERFUL BOOK ABOUT THE CATSKILLS "The Frommers are terrific interviewees and their book is a history and an entertainment resource about the Catskills - what else would we expect from oral historians of their rank. (Above the Title Productions, London, England, June 19, 2001)" ...............................................................

LITERARY LIFE, Cleveland "The book's profusely illustrated 239 pages are loaded with reminiscences that are bawdy, rueful, whimsical, and profoundly human. Most engrosssing are the tales of sharp moguls, barely off the boat, building grand hotels out of brazen nerves and chutzpah. With interviews from over 100 subjects, the Frommers have made a time capsule fascinating to anyone who savored 'Broadway Danny Rose,' wept when Jack Benny died, or would sell their souls for some good pastrami." ............................................................... "I enjoyed it. I should. I lived it." ............................................................... "The definitive story of a time and a place." .............................................................. "A fascinating history of the period." ............................................................... "A vibrant oral history, spirited anecdotes." ............................................................... "A wonderful oral history, cover a lot of territory." ............................................................... "A wistful look with hundreds of old photos." ............................................................... JOE FRANKLIN, February 12, 2001, "YOU MUST GET A COPY - YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN." ...............................................................

NEW YORK POST, December 23, 1998, "GREAT STUFF, LOVINGLY DESCRIBED" FT. LAUDERDALE SUN SENTINEL, December 22, 1998, "Highly readable. Offers downright funny anecdotes seasoned with ethnic jokes and a plethora of photographs." Frommer’s Now F’ing Both Freelancers AND Photo Enthusiasts! | Bob Krist Photography Frommer’s Now F’ing Both Freelancers AND Photo Enthusiasts! 11 2010 A while ago, I was contacted by an agency representing Frommer’s, an august name in travel publishing, to provide photos of Philadelphia for a guidebook. I had the depth and volume of photographs they needed, and it was winter and they were in a hurry, so shooting the thing would be difficult. The rates for the photos were the new dismal normal, but the volume sale of existing images would have made it worth it. Worth it, that is to say, had they not wanted more rights….like the rights to use the pictures in a variety of their publications, and license the pictures to others, in perpetuity.

They didn’t ask for the copyright, they just wanted all the rights that copyright affords the creator. In other words, they wanted to own them and they wanted to pay $70 a subject ( and a subject could include up to 5 photos) to do so. But, there was a “bonus” fee for any photograph published as a “feature,” up to $675 for a full page. So if there were larger pictures in spreads or “features” as they were referred to in the contract, they’d pay more, but basically it was $70 a subject for all rights. I told them it was “one time use” at those rates, or nothing. They decided that they couldn’t live with that, and I walked. Then, a little while ago, I heard from a young colleague who actually shot a similar book for them in the Middle East. She photographed the whole book, handed it in, got the layouts which had many of the big pictures and “feature” spreads, and waited for her check.

Which, when it arrived, was much lower than provided for by the contract because Frommer’s all of a sudden decided that “feature” means “cover” and that no inside picture usage was worth more than $70. Last I heard, they were going to court. A mega-publisher against a fresh-faced freelancer in a battle of lawyers….hmmmnn, wonder if they thought she might be naive and back down in the face of all that firepower. Think again. I guess when you put life and limb on the line to document civil unrest, war, and violence while covering the Middle East like she does, a few suits from Hoboken with Ivy League law degrees are just not that scary. And, in the spirit of three strikes and yer out, I just heard from another colleague about a photo contest Frommer’s is running….probably because of the problems they’re running into screwing the photographers they signed to work with. You can win $5000 and get your photo on the cover of one of their guidebooks. Sounds like a cool contest, until you read the fine print: Participant retains ownership of the copyright in any submitted photographs.

However, by entering photograph(s) in this Contest, participant grants Sponsor the irrevocable, perpetual right to edit, adapt, use and publish in any media now known or hereafter discovered any or all of the photographs without compensation to the participant, his or her successors or assigns, or any other entity. ENTERING A SUBMISSION IN THIS CONTEST CONSTITUTES PARTICIPANT’S IRREVOCABLE ASSIGNMENT, CONVEYANCE, AND TRANSFERENCE TO SPONSOR OF THE FOREGOING RIGHTS. Yeah, um, you didn’t win, and sure you “own” the photos, except that we’re going to use your photos in perpetuity for nothing, (so screw you and your sense of what ownership or copyright means!) Apparently Frommer’s is expanding its field of operations from screwing professionals to duping amateurs, and they are doing both with energy, audacity, and an astounding lack of scruples (way to use your law degrees, guys. Keep burying that shit in the fine print—-who reads anymore anyway? After you finish up with the photographers, there’s always taking candy from babies and foreclosing on disabled veterans to look forward to!).

I think it would be wise to boycott this contest, and boycott Frommers guidebooks or travel products entirely, and let everybody within earshot or “webshot” know that this is another rights grab in sheep’s clothing. UPDATE: Below is response from Jason Clampet, Senior Online Editor of Frommers, and my response to his response! These are in the comments section, but I wanted to give them more play so here they are below. I’m an editor at Frommers.com and one of the judges for the photo contest. I wanted to respond to your blog post. At Frommer’s, we engage dozens of professional freelance travel photographers on a commission basis as well as license images from stock photo agencies. This year we’ll spend a substantial sum on professional travel photography. Our per-location rate is higher than just about any other competing guidebook company (I should know, I’ve shot books for two competitors myself) and it is significantly higher than the day rate for a news outfit like the AP. We also employ photo editors to work with freelance travel photographers. To me that says we’re investing in professional photographer talent, and not screwing professionals.

Like all travel publishers, we pay for comprehensive rights when we commission photos, but we do not ask for assignation of copyright or prevent photographers from selling their images elsewhere. In fact, the commission fees we pay help many photographers underwrite additional photography of the locations we send them to. We typically bundle dozens or even hundreds of location shots into our agreements, which is much more profitable to the photographers we work with than one-off agency licenses — and the photographer gets to keep 100% of the fee we pay, not share half of it with their stock agency. Our Cover Photo Contest on the other hand is not a forum for pro photographers but an extension of the upgraded community features we’ve had on our site for a year and a half. In that time, users have shared thousands of their photos in destination-specific galleries (“Best of Paris,” “Best of Italy,” etc.) in the same spirit that our users have shared advice, tips, and travel horror stories in our Forums over the past decade. When people travel, they tend to like to share, too, and our website is a mix of professional and amateur content. We think it’s a great idea to let travelers show off their photos and maybe even have a shot at getting on a cover.

Like many websites, we lay a non-exclusive claim on anything that’s uploaded. This isn’t sneaky, fine print stuff, it’s standard Terms of Use language that you’ll see on just about every website. Let’s be clear: We publish over 100 travel guides a year and only one of those will have a cover image sourced through this contest. Perhaps we can agree to disagree, but I wanted to weigh in and add some insight and context from our side of the business. –Jason Jason: Thanks for weighing in here. But there are still things that I think your response misses. Like all travel publishers, we pay for comprehensive rights when we commission photos, but we do not ask for assignation of copyright or prevent photographers from selling their images elsewhere. Yes, you don’t ask for the copyright, you just take all the rights of reproduction that the copyright protects. So what’s the difference? You let photographers continue to sell their own pictures that you’ve secured for let’s see, a location is 5 pictures and it’s $70 per location so 5 into 70 is, what, $14 a photo?

For virtually all rights, including, if I remember the Philadelphia contract correctly, the right to license those photos to others! That’s, um, something to be proud about? We typically bundle dozens or even hundreds of location shots into our agreements, which is much more profitable to the photographers we work with than one-off agency licenses — and the photographer gets to keep 100% of the fee we pay, not share half of it with their stock agency. Yes, volume sales are great, as long as they are not at firesale prices ($14 a picture for all rights). Let’s face it, you guys have to minimize your dealings with stock agencies because stock agencies would never sit still for those heavily one-sided agreements and throwaway prices. They’ve got lawyers too. It’s only the individual struggling freelance content producer that will bend to those terms for short term survival, (and long term extinction.) When people travel, they tend to like to share, too, and our website is a mix of professional and amateur content. We think it’s a great idea to let travelers show off their photos and maybe even have a shot at getting on a cover. Like many websites, we lay a non-exclusive claim on anything that’s uploaded.

This isn’t sneaky, fine print stuff, it’s standard Terms of Use language that you’ll see on just about every website. Jason, puhleeze. Do you think the average traveler, whom you are so concerned about in sharing and creating community, knows that he or she is giving you guys carte blanche to make for-sale items from their vacation pictures when they enter them in your contest? Sure, take the winners pics, because they’re getting a quid pro quo for the usage. You guys are counting on the fact that most people will never read the fine print, and most will never miss the income from their pictures because they’re not professionals. Please don’t couch this as some kind of community service. It’s out and out rights grabs from unsuspecting civilians (aka amateur photographers). Your basic defense on all these points is that “other publishers are doing these things with even worse terms.” It’s kind of like me telling you I went into Barnes & Noble and boosted 7 copies of Frommer’s Guides (I didn’t, this is just an analogy), but it’s okay, because everybody was shoplifting that day, and most people took more than 7 copies.

It’s kind of bogus logic when it’s held up to a mirror. Look, nobody is more sympathetic to the trials of publishing than I am, having made a living from it in these last 30 years. And you know, we’re all accepting lesser fees and tightening our belts. I’m not one of these romantics who wants it to go back to the 80s. I understand the new realities. What rankles me is that your contract (and that of many, but not all, I have to add, of your competitors) seeks to make up every shortfall in the business by taking it directly out of the hides of the weakest link in the publishing food chain, the individual freelancer. Offer $17 a picture…that’s fine. But make it for one or two time usage and not this bullshit “all rights throughout the universe” that your lawyers love. If we could both shoulder the burden of the new business realities in a relatively fair manner, both sides might survive this recession/depression in publishing. But if it’s up to your legal division, you’re gonna slowly kill the freelancers. Which is okay now that you can crowdsource travel pictures from gazillions of amateurs.

Nobody said your lawyers were stupid, just a tad ethically challenged. I appreciate the fact that you’re weighing in here and understand if you can’t come back at us. I notice you mentioned you’ve shot for competitors, which means you were probably a freelancer once. So don’t do anything to jeopardize the full time gig, because it’s murder out here at the moment! Thanks, Bob

Question: What kind of books are published by Frommer's?
Answer: Travel